During the drilling of a hydrocarbon-producing well, a drilling fluid or “mud” is continuously circulated from the surface down to the bottom of the hole being drilled and back to the surface again. The drilling fluid serves several functions, one of them being to provide hydrostatic pressure against the walls of the drilled borehole to prevent wellbore collapse and the resulting influx of gas or liquid from the formations being drilled. The drilling fluid also cools the drill bit during operation and simultaneously transports wellbore cuttings and debris to the surface where they are subsequently separated from the drilling fluid. More specifically, upon returning to the surface, the spent drilling fluid is typically conveyed to various solids control equipment for cleaning or rehabilitation and then subsequently re-used.
One common component of the solids control equipment is a gas extraction system, which often includes one or more degassers. Flow meters are often used in the gas extraction systems to monitor the flow of the drilling fluid. Over time, however, drilling fluid residue may build up on the inner conduits and/or tubing of such flow meters, which can result in erroneous readings. To remove the built-up residue, well operators are often required to flush the entire system, which requires considerable downtime in assembling an appropriate flushing system, flushing the gas extraction system, draining the gas extraction system, and subsequently reconnecting the gas extraction system and associated flow meters back to the drilling fluid return line.